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On this date in 2012, the Giants opened up the NFC playoffs with a wild-card game against the Atlanta Falcons after winning the NFC East with a 9-7 record.

From the onset, MetLife Stadium was rocking for its first-ever playoff game. Fans were rabid and starved for another Lombardi Trophy, and that was evident in the stands.

The game itself started out rather slow, however.

The two teams exchanged a total of six punts over their first six series combined, and only one of those drives extended beyond three plays. It wasn’t until the very end of the first quarter that Atlanta was driving and set themselves up to score.

But on the first play of the second quarter, Falcons coach Mike Smith decided to go for it on fourth-and-1 from the Giants’ 24.

The call was a Matt Ryan quarterback sneak, but he ran right into the waiting arms of a determined Giants defense, led on the play by linebacker Michael Boley and defensive tackle Linval Joseph.

The fourth-down stop swung momentum briefly, but was snatched right back on the subsequent series when Eli Manning was called for intentional grounding in the end zone, resulting in a safety and a 2-0 lead for Atlanta.

Those would be the only points for the Falcons on the day, however. The Giants defense played lights-out, holding Matt Ryan to under 200 yards and limiting Atlanta’s run game to just 64 yards and 3.0 yards per carry.

On two other occasions, the Giants defense stopped the Falcons on fourth down, including another attempted Matt Ryan quarterback sneak with a yard to go.

Offensively, the Giants found a rhythm and rode Manning to 24 points. He finished the day having completed 23 of 32 passes for 277 yards and three touchdowns. Two of those touchdowns went to wide receiver Hakeem Nicks, who eclipsed 110 yards receiving for the game. Mario Manningham added the other touchdown.

On the ground, running backs Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw paved the way, going over 150 yards combined and averaging over 5.5 yards per carry.